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Darius (d'Morganti) Black
Age: 72 Affiliations: None Personality: Darius is a cold, calculating, and cruel person, motivated almost entirely by his own greed. While he has an outwardly warm and friendly demeanor, it is in truth an act to disarm those who enter his presence, at least long enough to manipulate them. History: Despite his noble birth, Darius was disowned by House d'Morganti for some combination of embezzlement and theft from the family coffers. Not deterred by such a simple setback as this, he adopted the name of 'Black' and proceeded to become a moneylender, lending out his stolen money and charging frankly absurd interest rates, and any who didn't pay would find themselves prosecuted by thugs of varying sorts. These thugs were usually paying off their own debts to Darius, and were usually so deeply entrenched that an offer of work to reduce the debt was basically irresistible. Over time, his power and influence grew, until one day when he collected on a debt personally. The man he collected from was effectively ruined by this debt, driven to poverty through the deceit of the Banker. The man, with nothing to lose in a fit of desperation, took up a kitchen knife and thrust it into Darius Black's throat, severing both carotid arteries and the trachea simultaneously, killing him. His death was cheered by debtors across the city. However, the monstrous avarice of his life and his ironic death as a result of his sin quickly put him on the path to becoming a fairly powerful Demon of Greed. When he returned, he possessed the body of his assassin for himself, accessed his previously hidden stores of wealth and contracts, and set himself up once again as "The Banker," using his new contacts and powers as a demon to produce for himself a number of lesser Wrath Demons to use as enforcers, debt collectors, and servants. With his new power and influence, Darius was well on his way to becoming a dominant power in Taelarys. Story Elements: House d'Morganti - Darius Black was formerly the heir to the House d'Morganti, and might have followed a very different path in life had his own folly and greed caused him to lose everything. House D'Morganti is a minor house, but still holds a measure of control over their own estate and the surrounding areas. Despite being related to Darius, they disowned him a long time ago and likely would not recognize him in his new body anyway. Black Manor - This mid-sized estate is the home of Darius Black, and is known for being a place one goes to if one is desperate for gold. While beautiful and practically a work of art in and of itself, it still holds a barracks for Darius' personal guard composed largely of debtors working off their debt. The Gilded District - The Gilded District is a section of the city containing most of the Nobility, the Wealthy, and such constructions as the Imperial Spires Hotel. The cost of property there tends to be exorbitant, to discourage settlement by the "lower" classes. Many Noble Houses are situated here, along with a larger number of mansions and estates for individual nobles, as well as a few particularly affluent merchants. The White Lotus - In the depths of the Gilded District, there is an innocuous but extravagant construction known as the White Lotus. Despite the high prices, there is a discount for loyal members of the guard and Nobles. They serve high-end food, often exotic in nature, having dishes from the borders of Taelar onwards. They serve rare and expensive dishes from such faraway locales as Ikoku, Rhetiz, and many others. Advantages: Deceptive I (Uncommon): - Darius Black is an uncommonly good liar, and even better at implying things without technically lying. Wealth I (Common): - As a successful usurer, Darius is incredibly rich despite no longer being part of the nobility. While the majority of his money is invested in various people at any given time, he keeps enough around to be considered very wealthy. Hellfire I (Uncommon): - The Banker is capable of channeling Hellfire from the Nether more or less at will, though he usually refrains from blatantly showing off such abilities for obvious reasons. Wrath Demons (Followers: Weapon Expertise (Uncommon): Sledgehammers) - Darius Black has a cadre of (disguised) Wrath Demons summoned into the bodies of unlucky debtors with no ability to ever pay back their debt. The sledgehammers are for breaking kneecaps.